Comment Opposing the Provisions of OMB’s Proposed Rule on Federal Financial Assistance Regulating Scientific Grantmaking

On July 13, 2026, Campaign Legal Center — in collaboration with the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Institute for Health Research & Policy at Whitman-Walker, and the Natural Resources Defense Council — filed a comment strongly opposing OMB’s proposed regulation that would overhaul the federal grantmaking process, allowing political appointees to administer federal awards based on partisan alignment and other factors unrelated to the quality of the work rather than scientific merit or necessity. The comment explains that the proposed changes would remove the safeguards that protect scientists from political interference, erode the accuracy and independence of scientific research in the United States, and allow the executive branch to exert undue political influence over the use of federal funds.